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Visions of heaven on Earth: Sacred sites in danger

The conservationists of WWF are enlisting spiritual leaders as stewards of nature – see some of the world’s sacred places that are on the danger list, their wildlife threatened and their natural beauty tarnished. Tiffany O’Callaghan

Ganges river, India

Rising in the Himalayas and flowing into the bay of Bengal, the Ganges touches upon several holy cities. It is worshipped by Hindus as the goddess Ganga, and many make long pilgrimages to bathe in its waters – a ritual believed to wash away sin.

The river, which is threatened by pollution and poor management, provides drinking water for hundreds of millions of people. It is also is home to the Gangetic dolphin, an endangered and protected species.

(Image: WestEnd61/Rex Features)

Xishuangbanna, China

The Xishuangbanna prefecture represents just 0.02 per cent of China's land area, yet it is home to more than 2 per cent of its animal species. The area is important to the philosophies of the indigenous Dai people and Buddhists, who believe that together humanity and nature form a unified whole. Each year the Dai people hold a Water Splashing Festival on the banks of the Lancang-Mekong river, in addition to other celebrations of the natural world.

The forested areas of Xishuangbanna face depletion with the rise of rubber plantations, and its wildlife is increasingly threatened by trafficking.

(Image: Feng Wei Photography/Getty)

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Mount Kailash, Hindu Kush

The Hindu Kush region of the Himalayas spans Tibet, India and Nepal. The 6639-metre peak of Kailash holds spiritual significance for Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism.

As well as being the source of several rivers, Mount Kailash is the trans-boundary habitat for the snow leopard, an endangered species estimated to have a global population of just 2500 breeding individuals.

(Image: Jed Weingarten/National Geographic My Shot/Getty)

Tikal, Guatemala

The largest remaining tropical rainforest in Guatemala is home to many endangered species, including Morelet's crocodile and the colourful ocellated turkey, so named for the spots (or ocelli) on its tail plumage.

The rainforest is important for the Mayan religion, and many sites are still actively used for ceremonies, such as that held by Mayan shamans on 21 December 2012 to celebrate the end of the Mayan cycle known as Bak'tun 13 and the start of a new age.

(Image: Johan Ordonez/AFP/Getty)

Wirikuta, Mexico

A sacred site for the Huichol tribes of the western Sierra Madre, Wirikuta is located in the Chihuahuan desert, one of the world's most biologically rich and diverse deserts. Wirikuta is an ecological and cultural reserve, but is currently threatened by population growth, poor water management and agricultural expansion.

Last summer, people protested against mining operations in the area, which is home to the Cerro Quemado – a mountain where the sun was born in Huichol mythology.

(Image: Marco Ugarte/AP/PA)

Spiny forests of Sakoantovo, Madagascar

The dry spiny forests of south-western Madagascar house tombs of the kings and chieftains of the Mahafaly people. They are also areas of rich biodiversity, with many succulent and spiny plants in the semi-arid environment.

The world's fourth largest island, Madagascar has lost more than 40 per cent of its forest cover in the last 100 years. The main threat to the region continues to be small-scale habitat clearance – predominantly for firewood and charcoal production.

(Image: Richard Hamilton/WWF-Canon)

Mount Ararat, Turkey

Sacred to both Christianity and Judaism, Mount Ararat is believed by many to be the resting place of Noah's ark. The mountain is situated in eastern Turkey, near the border with Armenia and Iran.

In 2007, Greenpeace activists recreated Noah's ark on the mountain in hopes of drawing attention to the dire consequences of climate change.